Final Fantasy: The Power Within
by Soth Griever
Summary: Five years after the beginning of the Endless Revolution, what begins as an excuse to join a high-ranking class of soldiers ends up being the only reason to fight for the planet, and for their own survival. As they fight to hold onto who they are, they f
1. Chapter 1: The Call To Destiny

Okay, first off, let me just say this: I do not, in any way, own Final Fantasy. I do not own characters like Squall or Quistis, or any other ones I may mention. This is all property of Square and Squaresoft. I do not own Lucky Charms(If you're wondering why this is in here, read the next part). I do not own the Ragna Blade spell(again, read the other parts I put up later). In fact, I don't own a lot of this stuff. So please, please, don't sue me. I have no money. I'm always flat broke, I'm in debt with my parents! So, even if you do sue me, you won't get anything. My friends, Emily, Karen, Jenny, and Keli will also hunt you down like bloodhounds and beat the hell out of any or all of you who try to sue me anyway. Do even let me get started on what my favorite girl, Rachel, will do to you. So it's basically a lose/lose situation here. So we've got that straight, no suing.  
Secondly: I'm rating this thing high, for two reasons. 1) I been around my friends too long, and I'm turning into them. Not a good thing, because they are all perverted. 2) I'm actually not done writing this thing, so I don't know what I will put in the parts to come. Also, I am warning you, if any of you find some of this stuff offensive, don't come crying to me about it. Just stop reading it! Any complaints e-mailed to me will be enjoyably ignored. XD! Hmm...if you're still reading this, you're really patient, or really really bored, like I was when I started this. Also, check out the Author Keri Akutenshi and her work. It's excellent and I'm sure you will enjoy it, especially if you are a huge anime fan. Umm...hmm...let's see...I don't think there's anything else...Oh, yeah....My friends(the ones I referred to up there, all who happen to be female, even though I'm not...but that's okay, seeing as my girlfriend is one of them) are going to appear in this story, and I am going to add them on in the parts to come, so let me start a key thing going here:  
  
Keli=Kelly  
Rachel=Sylvia  
Tyron=Carson(he's a friend I didn't mention up there)  
John(me)=Alexander  
  
Andrew, Jenny, and Karen, you will all be placed in here, okay, so don't worry. I can't write a good story with only 4 main characters anyway...  
If you read this whole thing, I applaud you...not many people can do it...so here's the story finally...for this much of a disclaimer, you're thinking, got to be one hell of a story, right? Well, I'm not too sure about that, but please R/R anyway, k? Thanks.   
Enjoy!!!!  
  
P.S. This is a combination of ideas and characters from all the final fantasies on the playstation. Just thought I'd throw that in.  
  
"No, I won't let you take her!" he yelled, watching a dark hooded figure carrying her. "No!" He tried to move, but his muscles wouldn't work. He looked down, and saw that his feet were disappearing. He screamed.  
  
Alexander Maxxe woke up drenched in sweat. His bed was completely soaked.  
"Hey, Xander, you're gonna be late," Carson said, walking into the room. Carson was short, but extremely fast. He had dark skin, and wore his hair in braids. He took one look at Alexander and said, "That must have been one hell of a wet dream."  
"Shut up," Xander said, tossing a pillow at Carson. "Get the hell out of my room."  
"Hey," Carson said, "I just came to tell you that you're gonna be late. And you have a visitor. He moved to the side, allowing Alexander to see his girlfriend, Sylvia. She stepped forward into his room.  
"Hey!" Xander yelled. "What are you doing?"  
"Nice to see you too!" she said. Sylvia was about average height, with blonde hair down to the top of her back. She had green eyes, which were absolutely beautiful(how's that for sucking up, eh? Just kidding, love ya, Rach). She looked at his bed, then at his chest, and said, "I see you've been dreaming about me," walking slowly to his bed. She sat down on it.  
"Actually, I was," Xander replied. Sylvia quickly jumped up. "Not like that, I meant it was a bad dream."  
"What happened?" she asked. "Did I turn you down?"  
"No. You were being carried away by a person with a hood on."  
"Kinky are you?"  
"Shut up."  
"Do you like handcuffs, too?"  
"I'm serious Sylvia. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get dressed." Sylvia made her way to the door, and Xander turned to Carson, who was laughing hysterically. "Now, you, I told you once, get the hell out of my room!" He continued to laugh as he walked out.   
Xander fell back onto his bed. "Oh, man, this will hopefully not be just another day." He got up and put on his clothes. His normal attire, for a winter day, was a black, sleeveless shirt revealing his muscles, black jeans, and an ankle-length black coat. Even though it was winter, he wore the sleeveless because he spent most of his time in the training room, where monsters were allowed to roam around freely. He had been in there every day the past week, training intensely with Micheal, his rival. He didn't like Micheal, but he was the only other person in the entire garden who fought with the same techniques and was the only competition. They each had two swords, custom-made for each of them, that combined at the base to form a double-bladed sword.   
After each battle, they got stronger, and against enemies that were more powerful than them, they got an incredible boost. If they got into a weakened state from a devastating attack, it triggered their limit breaks, in which they unleashed tremendous attacks that caused massive damage. There was also a myth, a legend, about the ultimate power, known as Trance. It meant to conform to one's hostile surroundings. Although it had never been seen, it was rumored to have incredible power, even more than a limit break.  
It was no wonder his friends joked about him being "mysterious," because his closet was full of black clothes. He quickly picked up his things, and walked out. Alexander was fairly tall with dark brown eyes, and brown skin. He had a slim build, but had broad shoulders, and was well-defined. He walked into the living room part of the dorm, where Sylvia was waiting.  
"Shall we?" she inquired.  
"Did Carson already leave?" asked.  
"I told him if he left, I'd get one of my friends to tie him up later." They both gave a little laugh.  
"He mumbled something about meeting a teacher earlier than normal for help on some work, and left."  
"Work? Doesn't he realize what today is?" Immediately, Alexander wished he could take it back.  
"What is today?" Sylvia inquired, thoroughly lost.  
"Nothing," Alexander replied.  
"So why did you say that?"  
"No reason. Today is nothing special at all. Nothing at all."  
"Sure…." Her voice trailed off, and she began to walk away.  
"Hey," Alexander yelled, "wait for me!"  
  
As they walked down the hallway, Xander suddenly remember something important.  
"Hey, can we go by the infirmary?" he asked.  
"For what?" she replied.  
"I have to pick up some things."  
"But the only things the infirmary carries are healing items, with it being an infirmary and all."  
"Will you just trust me on this, Sylvia?"  
"Last time you said 'trust me,' we ended up in a cave with two other people, and a lot of monsters, including a fire-breathing demon from the pits of hell. We're both lucky Squall and Quistis were performing his prerequisite, or else we would have been incinerated by Ifrit's flames."  
"Well, we were nothing but kids then. And I did get you the Ifrit Guardian Force, now didn't I?"  
"Only after Squall gave it to you. Squall wasn't even a SeeD yet!"  
"Well, I'm a lot stronger than he was at this age. That's why I can participate in…uh…nevermind."  
"Would you quit your bragging, Alexander! He could easily kill you with one attack from his gunblade."  
"Okay, Okay," Alexander said, finally beaten. But even Squall hasn't transformed yet. Even the great Squall Leonhart hasn't acquired Trance."  
"Trance is only a legend. No one alive today has ever seen it!" Sylvia looked around, and realized that they were in the infirmary. "You tricked me, Alexander!"  
"No I didn't," he replied. "I consciously knew that we were walking to the infirmary. It's not my fault if you didn't."  
"Alexander Maxxe!" she said, in a half-hearted sort of manner. "You're horrible!" She pulled him close, and he was expecting a kiss, but instead, she said, "Try anything like this again, and I see to it that that muscle of yours never gets used. And you know what happens to muscles that don't get used. They shrivel up like raisins!" She pushed him back and gave a devilishly evil grin, one she had gotten very good at, lately. Alexander swallowed very hard, and walked quickly to the counter. The nurse, a student there in the Garden, was a beautiful girl, a few years older than Alexander. Sylvia usually thought the fact that other girls were attracted to, and basically chasing after Xander was amusing, but this girl was different. Sylvia didn't like her. The nurse turned around, and instantly smiled.  
"Hey, Alex," she said.  
"Hi Rose. No heavy bleeders today?"  
"Nah, it's been a slow morning." Rose replied. "What can I do for you?" A sound similar to a growl came from Rachel's general direction, but Rose didn't seem to notice, and was smiling more than before.  
"Um, you know what today is, right?"   
"Oh, yes! I take it you'll be partic…." She was cut off by Alexander as he put his finger over his mouth."  
"Yes, I'm gonna need…" She stopped him abruptly.  
"I know what you need. A list was prepared for me ahead of time."  
"Mind if I join this conversation?" Alexander turned around to see Sylvia.  
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked her.  
"Long enough to remember what today is." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I asked you not to participate in the SeeD exam," she said quietly.  
"I know. I'm sorry, but I have to do this, anyway. I have to show everyone how strong I am."  
"So many SeeDs get killed everyday," she said softly. "And I don't want you to be one of them."  
"First, you threaten me in a way that's much worse than death, and now, you don't want me to die?" Sylvia ignored him and turned to the nurse.  
"Could you please give me the items that you just gave him?" she asked. Rose gave her a disgusted look and said,  
"These items are only for the people who are taking the exam." Sylvia got extremely upset, and the fact that she didn't like this girl didn't help at all. She screamed,  
"Give me the damn items, bitch, if you don't want to become a permanent resident of the infirmary!" Sylvia started glowing. Alexander began to back away.  
"Sylvia, don't use your limit break!" Alexander exclaimed.  
"Why not? She's been getting on my nerves. I need to release a little steam."  
"Why do you need those items, anyway?"  
"I'm going with you, Alexander. Someone's gotta be there to save your ass."  
"You realize it's gonna be extremely dangerous, don't you?"  
"Who do you think is more dangerous? Big, ugly, scary monsters, or me?" Alexander thought about the worst of all the monsters he had ever seen, and all the monsters he had ever heard about from other people, and then looked at Sylvia, standing there, glowing.  
"You make a really good point," Alexander replied, finally. "But, in that case, shouldn't you wait and use your limit break out in the field, during the exam?"  
"Now, you make a good point, Xander," retorted Sylvia. She stopped glowing, and turned back to face the nurse, who was cowering behind the desk. "Now will you please give me these items, or do you want me to get upset again?" The nurse quickly complied, giving Sylvia a sufficient amount of potions and other things.  
"Did Carson and Kelly come by here?" Alexander inquired blindly, trying to lighten the mood a little.  
"Uh…Carson has, but Kelly hasn't." Rose replied, still shaking.  
"Can I get a bag of these items for her?"  
"Sure, Alex." Rose put the bag on the counter, and quickly backed away. Alexander and Sylvia left the infirmary, and walked to the their classroom.   
  
************************************************************************  
"Do you think they are the ones?" a voice asked.  
"I do not know," Another voice replied.  
"Will they be able to stop the coming force?" a different voice inquired.  
"I do not know," the same voice replied., "but we must devise a way to get them here, because they may be the only ones who can stop the approaching threat. The exam results will make that clear."  
"This glacier is cold," yet another voice said.  
"It will not be long, now," the same voice replied again. "Soon, they will free us, from this crystal cage, and it will not end up being our frozen graves."  
"Shall we give them our powers?"  
"Yes. Our powers will enhance their own powers."  
"How much longer must we wait?"  
"It will not be long now."  
*****************************************************************  
Xander and Sylvia walked to their classroom, one of many in the Garden. A garden was a school in a college-type setting. There were separate dormitories for boys and girls, with a hallway separating the two.   
Because of the SeeD exam, classes had been canceled, so everyone was sitting around talking, waiting for the exam to start, so they could imagine what was happening. SeeD was an elite class of soldiers who were sent around the world to bring peace, usually through forceful means. Every so often, an exam was held for people wanting to join. The exam was, by no means, easy. They were taken to a certain place for a mission, usually involving a current war, or other crisis. They were given a certain task, and the results of the task were taken as a grade. The exact process by which the exams were scored was unknown to any of the students. Not many people participated in the exam, especially in Alexander's class, because only a few people thought they could, and, for Alexander's class, most people were only 14, 15 or 16. Alexander was 15, and Sylvia was actually 14, but because of their experience at a young age with Guardian Forces and their interaction with monsters, they had been two of the five selected from their age group in the garden.   
"Hey, is that…" Alexander trailed off, walking over to a large double-bladed scythe. "Well, I guess I'll set put her bag on her scythe." He hung her bag at the end of her scythe.  
"Come on, let's sit down, until our group leader gets here." Alexander and Sylvia walked over to their seats and sat down. A few minutes later, Kelly came in, running around frantically.  
"Where the hell is my scythe?!" Her eyes darted around the room and finally came to rest on Alexander. She stormed toward him, her eyes glazing. "Xander, what the hell did you do with my scythe?" She grabbed him by his jacket collar and pulled him halfway out of his seat.  
"I didn't do anything to it," he said, brushing off her hands, and falling back into his seat. "It's right over there." Alexander pointed in the direction of her scythe. She turned and saw her scythe lying on the desk, with her potions bad hanging on it.   
"Oh, sorry." She walked over to her scythe.  
"Having a bad day, Kellen?" Alexander muttered. Almost immediately, Kelly's scythe was at his throat.  
What did you say?"  
"Careful Kelly. I'm at my breaking point. And I may induce Trance.   
"Ha! You couldn't go into Trance if your life depended on it!"  
"Wanna try me and see?" Xander stood up. He was quite a bit taller than Kelly, who was a little taller than average height, with long, brown hair.  
"You don't scare me, Alexander!"  
"This is amusing," Sylvia piped up, sliding her chair back slightly.  
"That's enough, you two!" A 17-year-old boy stood at the door. As Alexander turned around, he instantly formed a look of disgust on his face. The boy had blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was a bit taller than Alexander. "I'm going to be your group leader for the exam," Micheal said.  
"What!" Xander said. "So, you're taking the exam too?"  
"Of course," Micheal retorted. "And I will most certainly enjoy my authority over you, Alexander." Alexander made his hands into fists, but picked up his swords and put then in their sheaths.  
"Now, my first order," Micheal snapped, "is to get down to the front of the garden!" He turned to Kelly. "Go with him." Finally, he turned to Sylvia with a grin on his face. "I heard you were participating Sylvia." She stood up.  
"Boy, word gets around fast," she said, "but yes, I am." Micheal moved closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder.  
"I'd advise you not to," he said. "You're beautiful hands shouldn't be stained with blood."  
"I appreciate the thought, but…" before Micheal tried to put his arm around her, she spun around, and stood on the tip of her toes, resting her body close to his.  
"I appreciate the thought, Micheal, but…" she quickly brought her knee up hard between his legs, "I can take care of myself!" Micheal fell to the floor in pain.  
"Damn you, Sylvia!" he whispered as she walked to the door where Alexander was half-grimacing, half-laughing, and Kelly was laughing like a maniac. As they walked out, Sylvia said, "Don't ever underestimate me, Micheal."  
  
"Great shot, Sylvia," Kelly said, as they were walking toward the elevator.  
"Okay, okay, who'd Sylvia shoot, now?" Carson was leaning on the wall at the corner.  
"Sylvia kneed Micheal in the nuts," Kelly said, grinning profoundly. Carson grimaced slightly, then started walking with them. As they entered the elevator, Kelly demonstrated exactly how Sylvia thrust her knee into Micheal's groin.   
"Are you guys ready to kick some monster ass?" Alexander yelled.  
"Remember, Xander, I'm only doing this to save yours," Sylvia commented.  
"I'm only doing this to get out of class," Carson added.  
"Well, I'm with Xander on this one," Kelly said.   
  
"Now is the time to learn of your destinies, young warriors."  
  
A mysterious voice resonated in Alexander's head. The elevator started to gain momentum.  
"Hmm…that's really strange, the 1st floor was never this far down," Carson said.  
"I don't like this," Xander said. The elevator kept getting faster, until they were all hovering above the floor.  
"Damn, we're gonna crash into wherever this thing lands!" Sylvia yelled, over the screaming elevator.  
"Somebody hit the emergency brake!" Kelly shouted.  
"I can't reach it!" Carson replied.  
"Try harder!" Xander replied. He kicked Carson so that he moved in the direction of the brake. He reached it just as the elevator hit the ground, crumpling like a soda can being smashed by someone's foot.  
************************************************************************  
"Did they survive?" a voice asked.  
"I don't know," another voice replied.  
"They must survive," another voice commented.  
"This, then, shall be their test of strength," a different voice said.  



	2. Chapter 2

  
  
  
Chapter2  
  
"Xander, wake up!" Sylvia slapped him.  
"Sylvia, you didn't have to bitch-slapped him," Carson said. It had been about 15 minutes since they had crashed. Alexander had saved them all by casting a barrier spell around them.  
"Ow," Xander groaned. "Can't you be any more gentle?" He sat up. "My head hurts."  
"Come on, move damn it!" Kelly shouted, trying to pry the door open with her scythe, but to no avail. The elevator was crumpled, and the overhead light was hanging by it's wires, flashing on and off sporadically. Carson was trying to help Kelly open the door.  
"Try burning a hole in it," Xander said. "The metal is probably cheap, so it should burn easily. Does anyone have any fire magic with them?"  
"Yeah, right here," Kelly said. She went to what looked like the front of the elevator, and burnt a square in the part that wasn't bent up. She kicked it out and it hit the floor. Immediately, a loud scuffling of claws could be heard from all over the place. They walked out of the elevator, and instinctively looked up. The area was like a cave at the top, but had a floor similar to that of an office. The top was at least 100 feet above them. "Where the hell are we?"  
"Wherever it is, it has to be at least 15 or 20 miles below the garden," Carson added.  
"How the hell are we gonna get back up there?" Kelly inquired.  
"Why the hell do you insist on always saying 'hell'?" Sylvia asked, obviously agitated.  
"Go to hell," Keli responded.  
"I'm taking you with me, she said, slipping on her gloves.  
"Hey," Carson ran between them, "no fights, today. Let's find a way out of here, first, then you can bash each other's brains out." They all look around.  
"Hey, where's Xander?" Sylvia asked.  
"I'm over here," Xander called back. He was leaning against a metal cabinet looking into another one. "Check this out."  
"What is it?" Kelly asked, walking over.  
"This cabinet has files in it for everyone who is trying to join SeeD, including all of us," Xander replied. "It's strange, though. According to these dates, these files were recently put in here."  
"That means that either they have mind reading abilities, are really good guessers, or someone comes down here a lot," Carson said.  
"There are also some charms in here," Xander said.  
"Charms?" Sylvia repeated. "What kind of charms? Lucky Charms?"  
"Pendants, Sylvia, pendants!" Xander yelled, annoyed. "They are pendants that would be on a pin, or a necklace. Here's yours." He tossed it to her. She caught it and looked at it.  
"Hey, this is my GF, Ifrit!" She used her finger to trace the outline of Ifrit. She pulled out her GF orb(for the sake of argument, let's say the GF are like materia, little orbs that they can use to Summon their Guardian Forces. In the game, they never actually said what the things looked like.), and watched, in amazement, as it began to glow a bright red color.  
"Um, you aren't summoning it, are you?" Kelly asked.  
"No, I'm not," Sylvia responded. "It's doing this totally on its own." They all watched the pendant begin to glow. She held the pendant close to the orb, and they began to resonate.  
"Wow, this is amazing," Sylvia whispered. "There's something about this pendant."  
"Whatever it is," Carson said, snatching the pendant away, "we'll worry about it later. If you have forgotten, we're still stuck down here." He tossed the pendant back to Xander, who put it back where he found it.   
"Why would there be pendants in here?" Xander asked himself. "There is one is each of our folders, but I've never seen any of them before. This doesn't make any sense!"  
"This is really weird," Kelly commented. "Let's get the hell outta here." She turned to Sylvia and grinned.  
"Got any suggestions on how we're supposed to do that?" Carson asked.  
"I do," Xander said.  
"How?"  
"That." He pointed to another elevator.  
"Oh, that." They walked over to it, and Carson read aloud, "Emergency use only."  
"I think we should consider this an emergency,"Sylvia mumbled as she pressed the button.  
************************************************************************  
"They didn't understand?" a voice asked.  
"They were not yet expected to," another voice replied. "They have passed part one. The next part awaits them."  
"Will we not meet them before the exam is over?" a third voice inquired.  
"We will, but remember, we have the power to manipulate time. If they do not, we will have to reverse time, to before we interfered.  
"Can they do it?"  
"I do not know."  
************************************************************************  
"Where have you been?!?!" Micheal yelled at them, in a rage. He had an ice pack for his groin, and everyone had to supress a laugh.  
"Relax, Mike, we haven't been gone that long," Xander said, thoroughly enjoying seeing Micheal act that way.  
"Because of you children, I got in trouble!" he scolded.  
"First of all, Micheal, we aren't children," Sylvia cut in.  
"I wasn't talking to, bitch," Micheal said. "I was talking to your fearless leader, and idiot for brains boyfriend."  
"Uh-oh," Xander said.  
"What the hell did you just say?" Sylvia growled.  
"Who's saying 'hell' now?" Kelly muttered.  
"You heard me," Micheal retorted. Xander quickly wrapped his arms around Sylvia's waist, seconds before she lunged at Micheal.  
"I'm going to shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll think you were being raped by a horse(two comments here: this is the reason for the high rating, and: God help me, I'm turning into my friends!)!" Xander began to pull her back as she was yelling. Micheal sneered and said, "Carson, Kelly, line up with the others, and you," he continued, turning to Alexander, "take care of her, or she may end up seriously hurt."  
"I can take care of myself," she yelled at him.  
"Is that a threat?" Xander roared.  
"You know what they say," Micheal responded, walking away, "it's not a threat, it's a promise."  
************************************************************************  
"Damn that Micheal!" Sylvia said. They were now on a large bus heading for the Northern area. Sylvia hadn't really calmed down at all.  
"I'm gonna kick his ass, I swear it!" she yelled.  
"Calm down, Sylvia," Carson said. "We all wouldn't mind whacking Micheal on the head right now, but get ahold of yourself!"  
"Allow me," Kelly said. She slapped Sylvia.  
"What the hell was that for?" Sylvia yelled at Kelly. "Carson's mini-speech was enough, thank you."  
"You're saying 'hell' again," Kelly nagged.  
"Kelly, would you please shut up!" Xander yelled. After she stopped talking, the other people on the bus applauded, and Xander stood up and bowed.  
He sat back down, and Kelly mumbled, "What crawled up your ass and died?"  
"I didn't mean to snap at you," he apologized, "but I couldn't think with you talking so much."  
"What are you thinking about that is so important?" Carson asked.  
"Earlier today, before the elevator got a mind of its own, I remember hearing someone's voice. It said something about destinies."  
"Now is the time to learn of your destinies," Sylvia repeated.  
"Don't forget, 'young warriors,'" Carson added. "You guys heard that too?"  
"At least, now, we know we aren't crazy," Kelly said. "Or else, maybe we all are crazy."  
"I don't think the elevator crashing was an accident," Xander said. "I thought I was going insane. Who's voice was that?"  
"Now there's a good question," Carson replied. "At least, during your moment of temporary insanity, you were able to cast 'Barrier' on us, because f you hadn't, we'd be as crumpled as that elevator."  
"I cast 'Barrier?'" Alexander asked, with a puzzled look on his face.  
"Of course you did," Kelly said. "Don't you remember?"  
"I remember waking up, looking around, and wondering how the hell we weren't killed, but I don't remember 'Barrier.'"  
"Hmm, that is weird," Carson said. "Let's just say that we all are crazy and forget that any of this ever happened. Deal?"  
"Sure."  
"Whatever."  
"Fine with me." Xander's gaze slowly returnedto the window, where there was no for miles around. He noticed that the bus was slowing down. "Hmm, we must have arrived at the starting point."  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Final Fantasy:  
The Power Within

Chapter 3 

They hopped out, and waited for Micheal. Even though they didn't like him, he was their group leader, and they wanted to do it right.

"Everyone, get into your groups!" someone shouted, after all the buses had arrived.

"Micheal, where are you?" Carson whispered to himself. As if an answer to his question, Micheal walked up.

"What are we supposed to do, Micheal?" Xander asked.

"Listen for our instructions," Micheal responded. Because of the lack of insults, Xander understood that Micheal, too, wanted to get everything right. They waited until everyone had gotten back into their groups. An older mad stood in front of them.

"Welcome," he said. Alexander looked at him closely.

"Hey, isn't that our…" he began.

"Of course, you idiot," Micheal replied. Same old Micheal, again. "He used to be in the highest class of SeeD, known as SOLDIER."

"I didn't know that," Kelly said.

"You all would have, if you listen," Sylvia commented.

"…former member of SOLDIER, I have been asked to come here," the principal, Mr. Evans, w as saying. "I am speaking to you, not only as your principal, but as a former member of SeeD. I have watched most of you grow up. As you take this exam, do your best. Follow directions, but don't be tied down by them. Be smart and think wisely, for it is not only brute strength that sets up apart from all the rest, but intelligence also. That is what it takes to become a SeeD." As he finished up, a roar of applause bellowed up from the crowd. Normally, this wouldn't be so, but, in this case, everyone was excited, so it didn't matter. As the applause died down, one person continued to clap loudly. As everyone turned around, a murmur rushed through the crowd. Standing in front of them was a group of people who looked to be about the same age. In front was the man who'd continued clapping. Whe he was sure he had gotten everyone's attention, he stopped.

"Excellent speech, Raymond, worthy of a former member of SOLDIER," he said. He had long, dark hair that stretched down all the way to his lower back.

"Anthony…what are you doing here?" Mr. Evans had a shocked look on his face.

"Why, I'm here to help you, of course," Anthony replied, with a sly grin. "This is only the fifth SeeD exam since the beginning of the Endless Revolution. Since your group has been the last to finish every year, I thought you may need a hand.

"How thoughtful of you," Mr. Evans said sarcastically.

"Yes, I know," Anthony replied.

"We don't need your help," Mr. Evans said.

"Nonsense, Raymond." Anthony turned to face his own group of young SeeD trainees. "Team up with the Concordia Garden idiots." At these words the students walked forward, pairing up with members from the other garden. Alexander walked far behind to the bus, and leaned against it.

"Trying to look all mysterious, Xander?" Kelly inquired, obviously bored already.

"Yup, as usual," Xander replied, playing along.

"But not doing a very good job of it." A girl stood behind Kelly. She was incredibly short, and had a dark red hair, to her shoulders. She was in complete contrast to the boy standing next to her, who was tall with and lanky, with blonde hair, and blue eyes. For a second, Alexander thought he was Micheal.

"Umm…can we help you?" Sylvia asked.

"Boy, you guys must really be idiots," she said. "We're suppposed to help you."

"We don't need your help," Carson said.

"Well, then, let us join you all for a little while," the boy spoke up.

"In case you didn't know, we're all under the age of 16 here," Xander said.

"That's fine," the girl said. "We're both 15."

"And I'm Aaron," the boy said. "This is Karin. And you all are?"

"Kelly."

"Sylvia."

"Alexander."

"Carson."

"Hey, what garden are you guys from, Karin?" Sylvia asked.

"Visaria Garden," she replied.

"Hmm…I remember hearing something about that garden," Kelly commented. "It's on the West Continent, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Aaron replied.

"How'd you guys get here this fast?" Carson asked. "It must have taken three ships altogether, of for you you guys to leave extra early, or something."

"Not if you have an airship, like they do," Xander spoke up.

"How did you know about our airships?" Aaron asked.

"I know a lot of things about different places," Xander answered, in a low voice, looking around.

"Don't mind him, he's just trying to be mysterious, again," Sylvia commented.

"And, again, it's not working," Karin said. They walked into the forest. The roar of monsters could be heard from all parts of it. Suddenly, a roar came from an area extremely close to them.

"Man, not already!" Kelly whined.

"That does sound really close," Carson said. "Come on, let's go see if we can fight it!"

"Weren't you the one doing this only so you could get out of class?" Sylvia commented.

"So what?"

"Why are you so 'gung ho' now?"

"How about we kill the monster, then discuss this?" Kelly asked. "Alright with you guys?" she added, turning to Karin.

"I don't care," Karin mumbled.

"I live for this," Aaron almost yelled.

Well then, let's go!" Kelly shouted, rushing forward. Everyone else followed. Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream made all of them stop dead in there tracks.

"This is more serious than we thought," Alexander said. "Let's hurry!" Again they moved forward, still with Kelly in the lead. As they moved forward, they saw a body in the snow. Whoever it was, they weren't moving.

"Kelly, take Carson, Aaron, and Karin, and go find Micheal," Sylvia said, bending over the unmoving body. "Xander and I will stay here."

"Sure," Kelly replied. She began to move, but was cut off by a strong rustle in the trees. Kelly watched as the rustle moved into the open, revealing a T-Rexaur who was chasing after someone. The person was fighting it off, but to hardly any avail. Kelly saw who it was, and said, "Well, I've found Micheal…"

"Kelly, help him!" Xander yelled.

"Why?" Kelly retorted.

"Kelly!"

"Why am I the one being bossed around here? I see four other people who are qualified to be bossed around."

"Kelly, if we lose Micheal, we may not be able to become SeeDs, okay?" Sylvia said.

"Okay." She sprang forward, followed by Aaron and Karin, with Carson bringing up the rear.

"Micheal, we're coming!" Kelly said.

"I don't need your help," Micheal retorted, getting up off the ground on wobbly legs. He fell back onto the ground.

"Try saying that again," Karin said. Micheal made a sound, but stayed on the ground. They jumped in front of him, and began fighting the T-Rexaur.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

"Is he alive?" Xander asked.

"I…can't tell, but he's not breathing," Sylvia replied. She looked at Xander, and saw he had a look of confusion on his face. The look immediately turned to fear.

"Sylvia, let's get the others and get out of here, now!" Alexander whispered.

"But what about…?" She began.

"I'll carry him. Now let's go!" Alexander picked up the limp body and started walking fast behind Sylvia. Sylvia suddenly stopped.

"I forgot something, I'll be along in a minute," she said, and ran back to the place where her first-aid kit was still lying. She started gathering the first-aid materials. Xander watched her. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked over and saw a rustle in the trees. It started to move forward, and Xander's mind snapped to realization.

"They do hunt in packs," he yelled. He began to run towards Sylvia, shouting, "Sylvia, run!" She didn't hear him, which seemed impossible because he was yelling as loud as he could. A head splitting-roar made her look up. The rustling stopped abruptly, and she looked towards Xander, who she could hear saying, "Sylvia, run!" Without question, she got up with what she had and started to run. A huge figure jumped from the trees, and Xander pushed Sylvia out of the way as it landed, crushing Xander's own legs. His scream of pain made everyone turn to him, including the other T-Rexaur fighting Micheal and the others. It quickly knocked them all down with a swipe of it's tail and jumped high into the air, landing beside it's partner.

"Xander!" Carson shouted. They began an all-out sprint towards him. Xander screamed in pain again. Sylvia grabbed one of Xander's sword and smashed it on of the T-Rexaur's tail, cutting it off. The T-Rexaur roared in pain, and knocked her into a tree. She fell to the bottom.

"Xander, no…" The beasts were now concentrating fully on Xander. He was unconscious.

"NO!!!!!!!" Sylvia's GF orb began glowing in her pocket.. She got up and the pendant began glowing as well.

_::her mind has evaporated, leaving only her will. The GF orb and the pendant float out of her pocket. The sky darkens a little, grabbing everyone's attention. The red orb dissipates, forming a red aura around her. Her hair changes color from blonde to a fiery red. Her body becomes light as she floats in the air. The T-Rexaurs stop what they are doing to ponder at this newcomer.::_

"I won't let you hurt Alexander!"

::She puts her hands together::  
_Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight  
From the darkness that opposes the light  
Flames of Hell rise to meet my desire  
I cast upon the thee Ifrit's HellFire!_

::her aura gets bigger and she lifts her hands up. By this time everyone is watching her. Out of her hands come two huge beams of blue flames, the hottest fire. In an instant, both T-Rexaurs are burnt to a crisp, and are nothing but ashes. Her aura fades and she drops to the ground.::

"Sylvia!"


End file.
